DTA of Namibia president McHenry Venaani yesterday said his three-day stay at the Ombili informal settlement of Katutura was an eye-opener and has made him more aware of the local people’s woes and worries.
Venaani moved into the three-roomed shack along Omuryambambi Street on Wednesday, and commutes to and from work in a taxi.
The shack belongs to his public relations officer’s friend, who is always away for about three or four days a week, because of the nature of his job.
The spokesperson, who declined to be identified, said the shack owner goes and comes for a period of three to four days, hence the decision for Venaani to stay there for that period.
During a visit in the early hours of yesterday morning, The Namibian came just in time to see the young DTA president preparing to go to work.Venaani, who had just woken up, complained of the cold and the early morning music, while pointing out that the lack of sanitation facilities is a serious problem in the area as people resort to using plastic bags as toilets, which they dump into a street drain.
“I have realised that sanitation is a problem here, since all the toilets in this area are blocked and people use plastic bags that are then thrown into the drain,” said Venaani, while pointing to a drain across the road. He said he will lobby for a fire truck, specifically for the informal settlements, to address the prevalence of shack fires.
“My biggest fear is shack fires and that is why we need to have those trucks ready as shack fires are becoming prominent,” said Venaani. After heating some water on a small gas stove, Venaani walked across the road to a communal bathroom behind another row of shacks.
Venaani, whose home is in Hochland Park in Windhoek, said he has had meaningful interactions with the local people in Ombili and that the experience was an eye-opener.
“People might think that this whole initiative is an attempt to get votes but it’s a genuine attempt to get to know the people. I am here to listen,” said Venaani, adding that it is not the first time he has slept in a shack.
He also said that he is a frequent visitor to the informal settlements. Venaani further said most of the people in the area have been living under the same conditions for the past 24 years.
“We need to have land to give to these people. They have been here since independence but they still do not own any land. It must be given to them free of charge,” he said. Venaani, who made himself a warm meal of canned fish the previous night, brought along his own blankets and some food such as a can of beef, bread and Coke and spare clothes, which he said he needed in order to look elegant since he also has to meet businessmen. “We need to know our people and we can only do that if we take the time to know them,” he said.
One of his neighbours, 20-year-old Nehemia Andreas, said he was impressed by the politician’s initiative.
Andreas said the only way to know people’s grievances is when you give them audience. “You cannot know someone from a distance.”
He said that politicians do not really know what it is like to live in such poverty.
“We have been asking him questions, and he would listen attentively to each of our contributions. We informed him of what we want, what our interests and needs are, the kind of Namibia we want to live in,”said Andreas.
